| Author | Message | ||
     Chrishayden "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Chrishayden Post Number: 8268 Registered: 03-2004 Rating: N/A |
You know names are important. Imagine reading say "Gone With the Wind" and Scarlett O'Hara is named Hepzibah Poon instead. Or James Bond and his name is Percy Printwhistle. While working on a recent project I got hung up on names. Started thinking about them. Most parents spend lots of time thinking about names for their children. Most names mean something, even them made up Negro names (mean the person picking them just going by how they sound) When you are naming fictional characters, you have the added burden of picking a name for a person that is often all grown up and involved in his or her life's work--would the Jason Bourne books work if his name was Chauncey Mudfinch? Just some thoughts. What about names for Black characters. Used to be easy--Rufus, Beulah, Demetrius. Now so many to pick from. | ||
| Cynique "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Cynique Post Number: 14267 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: N/A |
Black female authors tend to gave their leading ladies made-up names that they think are pretty, but are not typical of the times in which their novels are set. Toni Morrison is a good one for coming up with strange names, but hers are some how befitting the circumstances The names E. Lynn Harris gave his characters were always affectations, in keeping with the tone of his books. The Bard asks: "What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet". But when it comes to fiction "scent" is not an option, and a character's name should be credible. IMO. |
